Live Review: Pela at Music Hall of Williamsburg [02.27.08]

The Brooklyn band, Pela, has gotten a lot of acclaim over the past year not least because their debut full-length album, Anytown Graffiti (Great Society, 2007)is one of the best albums of the year. Their show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg was sold-out and Pela definitely lived up to my performance expectations. Vocalist Billy McCarthy was great and really brought out the local hometown crowd, playing it up and bantering with audience members.



As usual for the venue, the sound was amazing, and I managed to fit myself into the back corner up against the soundproofing on the walls. While this might not be a great position from which to listen to many bands, (I tried it with openers Apollo Sunshine but couldn't deal with the reverb) but for Pela it was perfect. Their songs definitely strike my heartstrings, so I enjoyed losing myself in the performance while also feeling the sound deep in my bones.



Pela played all of their hit songs, including crowd favorites "Waiting on the Stairs," "Drop Me Off," "Song Writes Itself," and "Trouble With River Cities." The band also set up their encore perfectly with the song "Tenement Teeth," which had the audience cheering for more. Finally, they closed the night with "Venom" and "Cavalry," two of their most anthemic and memorable songs. I guess the only complaints I have are that Pela is almost too perfect. It would be nice if they messed up and played something terrible for once, just to prove that they are human. At time they sound a bit like The National, which would not be a problem except that in my opinion, The National is a little precious, and Pela has a unique sound and should push that distinctiveness a bit further.


Aside from the show at the Music Hall it's my unfortunate duty to report that the rest of Pela's tour has been cancelled due to a mishap involving "Cavalry," a broken bottle, and Billy's hand at their show in Philly on Saturday night. For updates and more information, you can check out their website or myspace pages at:

www.pelamusic.com
www.myspace.com/pela

[Words by Anna Loosli]
[Photos by Elizabeth Weinberg]